2020 – Not the vision I had in mind

Category: Chamber Corner Chamber Corner
Published: 02 December 2020 02 December 2020

I never thought this horrid year would ever come to an end! While this year has not, technically, ended we do know that December 2020 is FINALLY here! This means that we are approaching the proverbial "restart" that a new year gives us. This is the time of the year that people begin to evaluate their lives over the previous 12 months and start thinking about making changes which are positive and long-lasting. Since we started celebrating a New Year people have been thinking about changes at this time of year. Do you make changes each year? What resolutions do you make? If you're like me you look back on your year and you break it up into categories. 1. What went well? 2. What went okay? 3. What needs to be changed for next year?

I completely understand that 2020 has been a year without precedent. I also understand that much of what may have happened this year happened in spite of your hard work and not because you did anything wrong. However, I do believe that the entrepreneurial mindset is to always view the glass as half full. Be optimistic for the New Year and believe, with all the gumption that you can muster, that next year will be much better than this year. I will write today from this perspective. Let's be positive for the New Year and let's begin to chart a course for a brand new beginning.

1. What went well? I've always told my children that there is always something to be happy about. You know that life is full of struggles and, in the most trying of times, it is easy to get caught up in the mire of a difficult year. Take a look at your business and look at the things that went well.

If there is one thing that the COVID pandemic helped small business owners do, it helped you restructure your business to be able to make sales in ways that you weren't expecting in 2020. Restaurateurs learned how to package their meals for curbside pick-up and they added delivery services to their daily operation. Many small businesses have developed their online business strategy as a result of the restrictions placed on them during the 2020 COVID crisis. Look back at your operations in 2020 and look at what you were forced to learn in order to keep your business afloat. If it made sense and could be a strong contributor to the success of your business then, by all means, keep it going in 2021 and beyond.

2. What went okay? The life of a small business owner is a life of evaluation. We are always tweaking and adjusting our processes as we go along because it is often the tweaks you make today that make a huge impact in your business tomorrow . As you evaluate your business and look for the "shining stars" of your operational activities you may learn that some of the changes you were forced to make in order to stay afloat, or to keep your staff employed, are not changes that you want to maintain after the pandemic is over. I think we were all impressed when we learned that Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery, "The Toad," had shifted into the hand sanitizer business at the beginning of the COVID crisis. Hindsight told us that it, alcohol-based hand washes were a natural fit for a company that manufactures distilled spirits and beverages. In a recent conversation with Teresa Dahl-Bredeen about their hand sanitizer business she mentioned that they will more than likely not continue with hand-sanitizer in their product mix. "While it made sense at the time and we learned a great deal about our business by developing the product, we plan to focus on the things that we do well as a company."

3. What needs to be changed for next year? This is the area where most small business owners live their lives. Change is inevitable in a small business and small business owners become adept at facilitating change in their small businesses. The key to success for small business is to know when something needs to be changed and change it! 2020 forced us to make unexpected changes to our businesses along with the regular changes we would have naturally made as a result of the activities we implemented in January or February. The changes you make at the end of this year should be changes that are designed help you experience exponential growth in the upcoming year.

2020 was a tough year and if you are reading this article then you have survived the wackiest year of the modern era. Although there is still one month left of the year, I'm ready to start planning for 2021. Remember that there is always something to be happy about and tomorrow is another day. Like the rainbow at the end of the storm God promises us that, if it's in His will for us to be here tomorrow and take on another day, then the least we can do is be smart with the today that He has given us. Relax and get ready for the greatest year of your life! Hopefully, it can't get any worse than this year, Right?

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.